Between the fast-growing towns of Beveridge and Wallan lies a narrow ribbon of land that time – and development – nearly forgot.

While much of the surrounding landscape was drained, dynamited and cleared for agriculture over a century ago, the Melbourne–Sydney rail corridor remained fenced off from livestock and protected from the plough.

Over many decades, this thin strip of land has become a biological time capsule. It is one of the last remaining strongholds of the Seasonal Herbaceous Wetland: an ecological community so rare it is protected under national law.

“Because the rail reserve was protected from development, it has very high floristic biodiversity,” says Nicola Babbage, Ecological Restoration Team Leader with MCMC.

“Some of the threatened species here are the only remnant populations left within the entire Merri Creek catchment, which on a small pocket of land is pretty incredible.”

With your support, these remnants have the potential to become the starting point for something bigger. You can donate today to support our vision.

The rail reserve sits within the broader landscape of Herne Swamp, which once covered more than 600 hectares. The swamp once supported thousands of waterbirds and an extraordinary diversity of wetland plants.

Large-scale restoration of the wider wetland system will take time, potentially as part of the proposed wallan wallan Regional Parklands.

But this project offers an opportunity to act now – protecting rare species, restoring ecological processes and building the seed resources needed for future restoration.

We’re aiming to raise $40,000 by June 30 to support restoration works within the rail reserve and help safeguard these critically endangered ecosystems.

Your donation will help fund:

• Propagation of rare wetland plants for future restoration projects
• Community workshops to build volunteer skills in seed collection and seed orchard maintenance
• Ecological burning to create space for threatened native herbs to flourish
• Targeted weed control to reduce pressure from invasive species like gorse, blackberry, broom and canary grass

“We see this as a first step,” Nicola says. “It’s an opportunity to protect what’s still here and begin building the foundations for restoring the wider wetland system into the future.”

A key part of the project is collecting seed from remnant populations of threatened species, including Swamp Everlasting and Swamp Fireweed, then growing them in containerised seed orchards.

These seed orchards will help support future restoration efforts not just at Herne Swamp but across the Merri Creek catchment.

The project will also help protect habitat for species including Bibron’s Toadlet, Growling Grass Frog, and Latham’s Snipe, a migratory bird that travels from Japan to Australia each year and relies on wetland stopover points.

For MCMC Ecological Restoration Team Leader Robbie Belchamber, who will be working alongside Nicola on the project, it’s all about giving overlooked landscapes a second chance.

“These areas have been neglected and forgotten for a long time,” Robbie says. “By supporting work like this, people can help restore parts of the landscape that still hold incredible ecological value.”

We can’t restore Herne Swamp overnight. But we can protect the species still surviving there, grow the seeds needed for future restoration, and take the first real steps toward bringing this remarkable wetland back to life.

Make a tax-deductible donation today and help sow the seeds of a wetland.

Photograghy by Max Roux..